Siyethemba Sithebe joins Flamingo FC after 18-month spell without professional club

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Siyethemba Sithebe has joined Flamingo Football Club in the HollywoodBets Regional League after more than a year without a professional club.

The 33-year-old was unveiled by Flamingo FC on the club’s official social media channels. The team compete in the King Cetshwayo region’s Stream B, with Sithebe’s move representing a significant step down the South African football pyramid from the top-flight level at which he previously played.

Sithebe’s last competitive appearance came during the 2024/25 season for Richards Bay FC. He made eight appearances before leaving the club in February 2025 and had remained a free agent since then, spending over 18 months looking for his next opportunity.

Mixed spell at Kaizer Chiefs

Kaizer Chiefs signed Sithebe for the 2022/23 season after competing for his services. However, his two-season spell at Naturena produced limited statistical returns.

The midfielder played 33 league matches for the Glamour Boys, starting 29 of them and recording 2,546 minutes on the pitch. He did not score or provide an assist in either campaign, while receiving eight yellow cards.

Sithebe made 22 league appearances in 2022/23, starting 19 matches and playing 1,666 minutes. His second season was disrupted by injury, restricting him to 11 appearances, 10 starts and 890 minutes in 2023/24.

He was absent for a lengthy period between August 2023 and March 2024 before returning to the starting XI.

Productive years with AmaZulu

Before his move to Kaizer Chiefs, Sithebe spent five seasons with AmaZulu between 2017 and 2022.

He made 121 league appearances for Usuthu, scoring eight goals and creating nine assists across 9,692 minutes of action.

The midfielder’s most productive campaign came in 2020-21, when AmaZulu finished second in the league. Sithebe contributed three goals and three assists in 27 appearances that season.

He now begins the next stage of his career with Flamingo Football Club in the HollywoodBets Regional League.